3-(Amino)-3-cyclobutylmethyl-2-hydroxy-propionamide is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/908,955 which was filed Jul. 19, 2001, and Ser. No. 10/052,386 which was filed Jan. 18, 2002, which are each incorporated herein by reference.
The compound of formula I is a key intermediate used in the preparation of the hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) protease inhibitor (1R,2S,5S)-3-azabicyclo[3,1,0]hexane-2-carboxamide, N-[3-amino-1-(cyclobutylmethyl)-2,3-dioxopropyl]-3-[(2S)-2-[[[1,1-dimethylethyl)amino]carbonylamino]-3,3-dimethyl-1-oxobutyl]-6,6-dimethyl having the following structure:

The compound of formula Z disclosed in the above-noted patent applications is useful for treating hepatitis C and related disorders. Specifically, the compound of formula Z is an inhibitor of the HCV NS3/NS4a serine protease.
There remains a need for methods of synthesizing compounds useful in the treatment or prevention or amelioration of one or more symptoms of hepatitis C.
In view of the importance of hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) protease inhibitors, new, novel methods of making such antagonists are always of interest.